Ukulele advice

[ukejon]

Originally Posted by Taylorcrazy

Mainland or Pono, both great bang for the buck (I own both and they are excellent).

Yup.....this.

[Br1ck]

Have you considered a Fluke? Seriously a good sounding good playing indestructible made in USA uke going for around 200. I bought one to keep in my trailer and have enjoyed it a lot. That said I'm eyeing the Ponos that go for 350 or so, and then you jump to 1000+ for the big three Hawaiian ukes, but they do sound sweet.

[Diamond Dave]

Originally Posted by Kupuna50

Some good thoughts from AGF members.
Living in Hawaii and playing ukulele semi-professionally, I have a somewhat different take on the question:
For your first uke, Pono's or Kala are OK. Good pricing, good quality.
But.....the tone on each is, in my opinion, missing.
If you've never played a uke, you'd never know.
Soon, after hearing other ukes, you'll feel like you wasted good bucks on your uke.
My suggestion is to get one of the "K's" - Kamaka, Kanilea or Koaloha.
A few more bucks, but well worth it.
Wonderful tone, great 'feel', excellent construction, beautiful woods.
As well, if you decide that playing a uke is not your 'thing', you can sell them with ease, whereas selling a Pono or Kala is significantly more difficult.

IMHO!

To the OP: Pono is marketed by the fourth of the four K-brands: Ko’olau. Ko’olaus are hand-made in Hawaii and Ponos are made in Asia. "K-brand" refers to the big four ukulele companies who handmake their instruments in Hawaii. But there are also many brands that begin with the letter K, like Kala, that aren't made in Hawaii but rather Asia.

[opencee]

I played ukulele when I was a kid in Samoa (Mid 1960's). A few years ago, I decided to try again.

Unfortunately, there is nowhere around here, except Guitar Center, to even get hands on a variety of new ukes. There certainly are differences. GC often has a number of brands and models at various price points. Of the ones I've tried, even some of the most expensive ones have really rough frets sticking out the sides of the neck, or some other liability. For me, a ukulele is just for some musical fun. It is not a serious pursuit, but I want it to sound okay, and play easily.

The best deals I found were on the Cordoba ukes; really inexpensive, nice finish, decent intonation, good strings, tuners aren't bad, and they sound okay. They seem to be consistent and are set up nicely. I know there are better out there, but I've enjoyed the Cordobas for a lot of reasons. I let anyone, including my grandkids, play them. I just never worry about damage, though I really haven't experienced any. I keep buying them because I occasionally give them away to friends and family who want to learn to play. They're fun to give, and I'm not out much. I just go buy another. They are cheap enough to keep an extra around for company.

I know one could own a nicer uke and keep one of these on the side, but these hold up pretty well on their own. I just throw a Cordoba in the back of the car for trips to the beach, or wherever.

I've been buying the concert size, though I might try a tenor next time.

Enjoy!

opencee

.

[Kupuna50]

Originally Posted by Diamond Dave

To the OP: Pono is marketed by the fourth of the four K-brands: Ko’olau. Ko’olaus are hand-made in Hawaii and Ponos are made in Asia. "K-brand" refers to the big four ukulele companies who handmake their instruments in Hawaii. But there are also many brands that begin with the letter K, like Kala, that aren't made in Hawaii but rather Asia.

I noted the Kala brand in my editorial, hence I did not include it in the "K's".
Ko'olau is also a "K", however, almost all are custom ordered , very few made for 'off the shelf purchases'. (Per John Kitakis, owner of Ko'olau/Pono.
My comments on the "K's" refer to Hawaiian made ukes, not ukes made elsewhere and 'set up' domestically.

[Diamond Dave]

Originally Posted by Kupuna50

I noted the Kala brand in my editorial, hence I did not include it in the "K's".
Ko'olau is also a "K", however, almost all are custom ordered , very few made for 'off the shelf purchases'. (Per John Kitakis, owner of Ko'olau/Pono.
My comments on the "K's" refer to Hawaiian made ukes, not ukes made elsewhere and 'set up' domestically.

Okay.

[firelegend2]

Originally Posted by Kupuna50

Some good thoughts from AGF members.
Living in Hawaii and playing ukulele semi-professionally, I have a somewhat different take on the question:
For your first uke, Pono's or Kala are OK. Good pricing, good quality.
But.....the tone on each is, in my opinion, missing.
If you've never played a uke, you'd never know.
Soon, after hearing other ukes, you'll feel like you wasted good bucks on your uke.
My suggestion is to get one of the "K's" - Kamaka, Kanilea or Koaloha.
A few more bucks, but well worth it.
Wonderful tone, great 'feel', excellent construction, beautiful woods.
As well, if you decide that playing a uke is not your 'thing', you can sell them with ease, whereas selling a Pono or Kala is significantly more difficult.

IMHO!

Kamaka costs WAY more then a $299 pono! those are really very different prices brands. Yeah pono can get up there in cost. I don't know what OP paid but I think those are two very different types of instruments. I wish I could afford a Kamaka. When I started I had no idea if it would become something I really stuck with, I don't think spending that much is wise unless you just 100% CAN and WANT to!

[BrunoBlack]

Originally Posted by firelegend2

Kamaka costs WAY more then a $299 pono! those are really very different prices brands. Yeah pono can get up there in cost. I don't know what OP paid but I think those are two very different types of instruments. I wish I could afford a Kamaka. When I started I had no idea if it would become something I really stuck with, I don't think spending that much is wise unless you just 100% CAN and WANT to!

I paid $299 plus a hard case. Not sure how my wife will take to it, so $300 seems about the right balance (for us) between quality and cost for this experiment. If she loves it and takes to it, maybe she'll develop UAS.

[TRRH]

Originally Posted by Haasome

Ok, I know this isn't a Ukulele Forum, but I figure some of you play one. My wife is interested in playing and I know absolutely nothing about the instrument. Anything we should look for or consider as we embark on this adventure?

Kapuna50 has said it well. If you are serious, get a K brand (Kamaka, Kealoha, Kanelea) tenor or concert. If cost is a factor, Kala makes some great solid Acacia ukuleles.
Aloha
Terry

[LindaW]

Originally Posted by firelegend2

You want solid wood if you want a really nice sound. Kala makes a very nice Mahogany tenor that is very popular. If you have the $$ get a martin. I recommend CONCERT size. Its not the smallest or the biggest so it is the safest bet. If you want it to sound more guitar-like put a LOW G string on it, quiet lovely. If you do get a Martin, I recommend Worth Brown strings on it for a mellow sound, or go full Martin with Martin strings. I also like Pono a lot but its more $$ then Kala. Kala is the safer of the cheaper range.

Ukulele sizes:

Soprano - Smallest and tiny and possible to get hand cramps!
Concert - A little bigger, the middle child
Tenor - A lot of the professional ukulele players wind up on tenor's, probably because they are louder and a fuller sound from the larger body.

Baritone - tuned differently, its like a tiny guitar missing two strings, harder to find tabs/music for because it's less common.

Google jake shimabukuro if you've never seen him and be prepared to be blown away. He's made the Kamaka Tenor very popular

Very interesting about the low G string. I just bought a used KoAloha on Ebay (concert-sized) and I'm going to have to try this.

[SalFromChatham]

I bought a Martin S1 last year, and it is a flawless instrument (I actually have it for sale now). Had I given it more thought I would have bought a concert, as the S1 is surprisingly small.

Oh well... if it doesnt sell I will trade it back to Elderly for a concert. Those guys have a serious selection of nice ukes of all sizes.

[ukejon]

Originally Posted by Kupuna50

My comments on the "K's" refer to Hawaiian made ukes, not ukes made elsewhere and 'set up' domestically.

I have played (and owned) more than a few Pono's that were considerably more musical than some of the far more expensive K brands, which generally (but not always) are wonderful.

[firelegend2]

Originally Posted by Haasome

I paid $299 plus a hard case. Not sure how my wife will take to it, so $300 seems about the right balance (for us) between quality and cost for this experiment. If she loves it and takes to it, maybe she'll develop UAS.

I think you made a really good choice. I went on a journey last year for 12 months and if I had started with that nice of an ukulele I would have been one happy camper You are a lovely husband! The setup from Joel at HMS is pretty amazing as well so you will receive a very well setup instrument which is aces!

[firelegend2]

Originally Posted by LindaW

Very interesting about the low G string. I just bought a used KoAloha on Ebay (concert-sized) and I'm going to have to try this.

It does not change the chords or tuning at all, and it just warms it up and makes finger picking much more interesting! Once you try it you may never go back to a high G again!

[peterbright]

Congratulations! For a first UKE a Pono is a great buy. No it's not a "K" brand (which I own) but even those who can afford $2000 Ukes buy them and are happy with them. Should she progress and want "more tone", buy her a better one.